Jean Chretien

Jean Chretien (11 January 1934-) was Prime Minister of Canada from 4 November 1993 to 12 December 2003, succeeding Kim Campbell and preceding Paul Martin. He was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Biography
Jean Chretien was born in Shawinigan, Quebec, Canada on 11 January 1934. He studied at Laval University and was admitted to the Quebec bar in 1958. He became a member of the House of Commons for the Liberal Party of Canada in 1963, serving in various ministries; he served as Minister of National Revenue in 1968, Minister of Indian Affairs from 1968 to 1974, Minister of Industry, Trade, and Commerce from 1976 to 1977, Minister of Finance from 1977 to 1979, and Minister of Energy, Mines, annd Resources from 1982 to 1984. In 1980, he campaigned actively for the government in the Quebec referendum against sovereignty, supporting Pierre Trudeau's promise of a lasting constitutional settlement which would include the province's aspirations. He was then put in charge of the constitutional negotiations of 1980-1982, which led to the patriation of the Canadianc onstitution. However, this failed to satisfy many Quebecois, who never quite forgave him for what they considered his broken prmise. He returned from political retirement in 190, when he was asked to lead a disunited and demoralized Liberal Party. He became lader of the opposition, and in 1993 his steady leadership, in contrast to that of the more erratic Kim Campbell, ensured a comfortable victory for the Liberals.

Chretien became the new Prime Minister of Canada after the election.The demolition of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada proved to be a pyrrhic victory, however, because it enabled the separatist Bloc Quebecois to become the official opposition. Despite his initial popularity, memories of his betrayal of the interests of Quebec in 1982 were so strong that, unlike Trudeau in 1980, he was unable to be an effective campaigner for Canaian unity. Despite the narrow victory for the federalists in the 1995 referendum, his image within Quebec was greatly tarnished, especially in comparison with the charismatic Lucien Bouchard. He also engaged in a power struggle against his intra-party rival Paul Martin, and he left public life in 2003, with Martin succeeding him.